We have been monitoring closely the winter storm that is predicted for the Worcester area beginning this evening (Thursday, February 24) and through the day tomorrow (Friday, February 25).

Because of both the anticipated intensity (with more than an inch of snow falling per hour) and duration of the storm, the University is moving to a remote teaching and work mode tomorrow. All instruction and non-essential services and operations will be delivered online and all non-essential employees should work from home. If you have questions about whether your position is considered essential or non-essential, please check in with your supervisor.

In addition:

Dining –  The Den on Main Campus and Hawk’s Nest on the Becker Campus will be closed. Otherwise, dining services will be operating as usual.

Shuttle services – ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ Shuttle and ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵRide have been suspended for tomorrow to help minimize travel on city roads.

Mail services – Mail services will be suspended and the mail room will be closed.

Academic Commons – Floor 1 will be open as usual from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. Goddard Library floors 2 through 5 will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Other programming – Events and other programming planned on campus will likely be impacted so be sure to check schedules. Students also are encouraged to check ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ Engage and social media channels for any updates. The University Center, including the Grind, will be open and accessible to the ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ community.

General preparations – Please remember that there are steps you should take to be well-prepared for a serious weather incident:

• Power outages are often possible in these situations. Be sure to fully charge cellphones, laptops, battery packs, and other devices. In the case of an outage, remember that no candles are permitted in university buildings, including residence halls.
• Plan to stay in your home and off roads during peak storm conditions.
• Be mindful of your surroundings. Facilities Management will be working hard to clear roads, thruways, and parking areas. There could be times, however, when it may be challenging to navigate across campus. Take care as areas could be slippery and/or snow-covered. Trees could weaken or fall, and power lines could be downed.
• Keep adequate supplies of water, medicine, and other essential items well stocked and handy.
• If you have an emergency on campus, contact University Police at 1-508-793-7575.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who will be on campus to support our students and to keep operations moving as smoothly as possible.

Be safe, everyone.

The post Predicted Snowstorm, Feb. 25, 2022: Changes to campus operations/remote instruction and work appeared first on Emergency Management and Campus Assistance.

For anyone driving to campus, do anticipate that parking will be limited on University lots and city streets given the large amount of snow.

Continue to stay safe.

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In anticipation of challenges navigating on or around campus, we have made the following changes to University operations for tomorrow, Saturday, January 29:

• The COVID-19 testing center will be closed. We plan to resume normal testing hours on Sunday, January 30, unless you are informed otherwise.
• ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ Shuttle and ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵRide services will not operate to help keep traffic off of city streets per the request of Massachusetts Governor Baker.
• Mail services will be closed, including the mailroom.
• Many University events have been canceled, including athletic events. Be sure to check schedules and/or information from organizers.

To keep informed:

• Check the ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵU.edu emergency updates page.
• Follow the University’s social media channels.
• Look out for alerts from the University. To ensure you receive timely text messages, update your  contact information on the .
• Sign Up for , the City’s emergency notification system, which enables you to receive critical information quickly in various situations.

To all of our essential employees who will be on campus tomorrow, thank you for your help and support serving our students. Everyone, please stay safe and warm.

The post Update: Predicted Snowstorm: Some University Services Canceled for Tomorrow appeared first on Emergency Management and Campus Assistance.

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